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ROBOTICS

Combat robotics

Helping two teams find their own solutions.

  • Design reviews
  • Manufacturing
  • Mentorship
BotBrawl Canada logo.Competition reference
BotBrawl Canada is the competition our teams are designing for. WE FIRST’s robots are still in design.Logo: BotBrawl Canada

Supporting two teams designing 3 lb robots for Bot Brawl, with guidance on materials, drive arrangements, weapon design and manufacturing.

Combat robotics is part of WE FIRST, the university club I lead. Marc leads the combat project itself. My role is to support both robot teams and help their members develop sound designs without taking their discoveries away from them.

My contribution

  • Provide club-level oversight and support across both teams.
  • Help students work through mechanical and manufacturing decisions.
  • Bring experience with materials, drive arrangements and weapon design to reviews.
  • Support Marc and the team leads while keeping detailed design ownership with the builders.
01 / THE PROCESS

Two robots, two sets of choices

The teams are currently planning one vertical spinner and one horizontal spinner, each in the 3 lb class. Both are in the design phase.

I have helped the vertical-spinner team consider materials, direct and indirect drive arrangements, weapon bite, rake, energy and ways to manufacture their parts. Those choices are connected: a promising mechanism still has to fit the weight budget and be practical to build.

02 / THE PROCESS

Guidance without taking over

I help the teams design and build, but try to leave the specific direction and discoveries to them. A useful review should help a builder understand the tradeoffs and make a better decision, rather than simply replace their idea with mine.

The project’s current story is about setting up that process and supporting the design work. Build, test and competition results will become part of the page as the robots take shape.

WHERE IT LANDED

The next milestone is the build.

The vertical- and horizontal-spinner concepts are in development. No completed robots or fight results are being claimed at this stage.

A closer look

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Notebook sketch of a saw-axe clutch concept, with shaft, bearing and mechanism details.
Exploratory saw-axe clutch concept from the project notes. This is a design study, not a built mechanism.
Students working together at a WE FIRST electronics workshop.
The hands-on learning environment behind WE FIRST’s projects and workshops.
COMPETITION CONTEXT · TEMPORARY REFERENCE MEDIA

The arena we’re building toward.

The BotBrawl photographs and video below show other teams and the competition we are preparing for. They are temporary reference media, not WE FIRST builds, attendance or results. We will replace them with our own build and competition footage as the project progresses.

From the 2026 BotBrawl Summer Classic

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NV and Cyclone facing each other inside the BotBrawl combat arena.
NV and Cyclone at the 2026 Summer Classic — an example of the 3 lb competition our teams are designing for.Photo: Liam Haddock / BotBrawl Canada
Shrubert lifting JAK3 in a BotBrawl beetleweight match.
Shrubert and JAK3 in the 2026 Summer Classic beetleweight bracket. These robots belong to other teams.Photo: Liam Haddock / BotBrawl Canada
Spectators gathered around a robot combat arena at the BotBrawl Summer Classic.
Around the arena at Bingemans, Kitchener, during the 2026 Summer Classic.Photo: Liam Haddock / BotBrawl Canada

Highlights from the BotBrawl season.

Watch on YouTube
Other teams’ robots in the BotBrawl arena; play the official Season 2 Week 3 highlights.

Official highlights from Week 3 of BotBrawl Robot League Season 2. This is organizer footage of other teams; it does not show our robots.Video: BotBrawl Canada

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